FES December 2021 Policy Brief MULTIDIMENSIONAL SECURITY DRIVERS, DYNAMICS& DEFICIENCIES IN RESPONSE Execu ve Summary Nigeria is faced with an unprecedented wave of different but overlapping mul dimensional security threats. Almost every geo-poli cal region of the country is facing one form of insecurity or the other that has impacted nega vely on human security. Going by this trend, there are various dimensions to these security threats faced by the Nigerian state ranging from- terrorism, violent religious extremism, community clashes, militancy, kidnapping, banditry, and poli cal insecurity. Despite the government's efforts, the security challenges confron ng Nigeria have con nued to rise sporadically with the emergence of new forms of security threats in different parts of the country, such as exponen al popula on growth, increasing youth unemployment, widespread poverty, lack of physical and economic access to basic needs of life. Emergent na onal security threats also include cybercrimes(internet fraud, cyberbullying, cyber-a acks), piracy, non-state actors' a acks on civilians, inadequate or dysfunc onal healthcare systems(new and recurrent diseases including epidemics and pandemics, poor nutri on). Others are environmental degrada on(natural disasters, erosions, flooding, soil and air pollu on), resource deple on, ethnic violence, individuals or gangs' crime, poli cal or state repression, including torture, disappearance, human rights viola ons, deten on and imprisonment. Combined, these threats have exacerbated the prevailing security crisis in Nigeria. Ac vi es of the Boko Haram Sect(BH) and the Islamic State West Africa Province(ISWAP) have con nued to aggravate the security situa on in the North-east region. Bandits and criminal gangs have exploited the security vacuum and ungoverned spaces in the North-west region to perpetuate criminal ac vi es such as kidnappings for ransom targe ng educa onal ins tu ons. The North-central part of the country has also been plagued with a series of violent conflicts ­including the Fulani herdsmen-farmers clashes which have resulted in violent conflicts that are expansive in terms of frequency, intensity, and scope. The South-east, which hitherto was perceived to be the most peaceful part of the country, has recently evolved into a hotbed of violence, targe ng state security ins tu ons in the region. In the oil-producing South-south region, security challenges are nothing new. Oil resources from the region have been Nigeria's biggest foreign export earner, and militants in the Niger Delta have long agitated for a greater share of the resources and dividends from the sector. In addressing these threats to na onal security, experts allude to the fact that the diverse scope of Nigeria's security threats will require innova ve solu ons adapted to each context and region. This will entail understanding the local dynamics of each threat and integra ng them into a mul dimensional na onal security strategy with a view to finding las ng peace, security and sustainable development in the na on. Security sector reform and governance advocates have also suggested that Nigeria government should adopt non-kine c approaches – such as dialogues, transi onal jus ce mechanisms to address injus ces; adherence to the rule law in implemen ng security opera ons, structural and opera onal accountability within the security sector, ci zens-led accountability, and oversight, as well as easy access to relevant informa on. 1